Nguyendtrac

I've gotten my RL for about two weeks now. It had 109,200miles when I got it and it had not gotten a timing belt change or water pump change yet. So last Thursday I took it into the shop to get that done, while they were changing it, they saw that my side motor mount (the one next to the timing belt) was broken so we ordered one from Acura and put it on there.

After I took it out of the shop, my car has been bouncing as if my shocks were blown. I just went a couple of hours ago back to the shop to see if they were actually blown, but they said they saw nothing wrong with the shocks, and I forgot to ask them to check the other 2 motor mounts..

So my car has been bouncing a lot and the more frequent bumps are between each other, the more my car bounces. It bounces a lot, like earlier for example....I was driving on a bumpy road that has always been bumpy and I cover the brake with my foot but then the bounciness caused me to screech my tires cause I pressed the brake a little to hard.

Could this be because my other 2 mounts are bad???
I got this car for its smoothness and stuff.....not cause I wanna lower it and make the ride uncomfortable -.-

BillG49

I had the same issue after replacing my timing belt and front & side motor mounts, but my struts were also making grinding noises. I took it back to the shop and my mechanic said that after being up on a lift for 4 days (I also had to order motor mounts after disassembly), it takes a while for the struts to "reset" to normal operating mode.

He suggested I drive it for about 200 miles and if it didn't fix itself, to bring it back.
I did, it did, so I didn't. All is fine now.

Nguyendtrac

So do you think I should cancel my appt. at Acura later today? lol.

Nguyendtrac

I've probably driven only about 50miles since last thursday cause I was scared to drive...

BillG49

I would cancel your appointment if the Acura dealer is going to charge for the look-see. They will either tell you nothing is wrong, or find something else to fix that doesn't need fixing.

I suggest driving it the rest of the week and take it in again next Monday if you're still having a problem. My mechanic indicated that this was not unusual when this car is left suspended for several days.

Nguyendtrac

My car was only there for 1 day though, could it still be the same thing?
And yes, Acura charges for a damn diagnostic -.-
$115 for a tech to check it out....not even a mech

db22

Put your left foot on the footrest on the left hand side of the footwell and the creeching will cease.

Nguyendtrac

I was covering it with my right foot. Lol. Sorry didn't specify.

oo7spy

Change your struts. They're old.

Nguyendtrac

But I want to know why it was smooth, then after I got the change, it wasn't as well...

But yea I'll get to that

db22

Has anyone changed their struts and what is the cost for all 4?

Thank you.

Nguyendtrac

Yes I would like to know this as well.

oo7spy

My only guess could be that having the car up on a lift extended the struts fully causing them to degrade a little(?).
You can get the Aspec kit or all four OEM struts for ~$600. $50/corner install, and it should be doable for $800.

TampaRLX-SH

I do not know if there is truth in this, but I have been told by my Acura Tech that the struts on the RL will fail when they are subject to being extended on a lift frequently and or on a lift for extended periods of time. He told me that the piston stop on the top of the strut may fail after the car is lowered onto its sprung weight.

Now what consitutes being raised on a lift frequently or for an extended period of time?

This conversation came up once when I had to leave my RL overnight for service. When I asked the car not be left outside, my Tech told me he would leave it up on the the lift overnight, once he had removed the wheels (which were to be mounted with new tires). I asked why he specified 'no wheels', he explained the above.

CFoote

Doing struts/shocks on the RL is not cheap, but certainly doable.

First, you don't have to buy the whole assembly (including springs, strut mounts, etc) -- just the strut. Obviously the rear shocks are fine and easy to do on your own if you want.

Total cost of parts is about $800. Labor from dealer was around $400 for front and rear. The fronts are the big pain in the neck, and the labor I quoted above includes taking the strut apart and putting it all back together, then re-installing in the car (it's still cheaper than buying a whole assembly).

Well worth it -- ride is much better than before, much less 'bounce' on the highway.

I am considering the control arms (bushings are getting worn) but may skip it.

You need to make the call as to whether its financially worth it. I plan on keeping the car another 2-3 years so i was worth it for me.

Chris